April 20, 2009: Tokyo 2016 is now officially off the clock after a six-day visit by International Olympic Committee Evaluation Commission, which is on a four-city tour to help determine the host venue for the Summer Olympics in seven years. "[We were] most impressed by what Tokyo could offer to the Olympic Games,” IOC Evaluation Commission chair Nawal El Moutawakel said during a press conference on April 20. "[Tokyo is] a dynamic city, where sport plays such a key part in people’s lives." As part of its presentation, the Tokyo 2016 committee told the IOC it expects to generate revenues of $2.89 billion (U.S.) "through a combination of local sponsorship and official suppliers, ticket sales, licensing, IOC contribution, donations, commission revenue" and elsewhere. The Japanese Olympic Committee announced six new gold partners for its new top sponsorship category. Official corporate partners include Japan Airlines, Ban-Dai, Yahoo! Japan and Asics. Tokyo's plan is to have 97% of competition venues within a five-mile radius of the Olympic Village. “We were very impressed by the vision [of Tokyo 2016]," El Moutawakel said at the press conference. The IOC Evaluation Commission visited Chicago earlier this month and next goes to Rio de Janeiro (April 29) and then Madrid (May 5). The IOC will vote on a 2016 venue in October. Back to Home Page